CENTRE-RIGHT GERB WILL NOT SUPPORT A NEW GOVERNMENT WITHIN THE CURRENT PARLIAMENT

The parliamentary group of Boyko Borissov’s party, the cenre-right GERB, decided that it would not support forming a new government within the framework of the current Parliament, GERB parliamentary group leader, Tsvetan Tsvetanov said on 30^th of November. The reason for the decision was the debate in Parliament on the topic of the state budget. Diversions of views with the Patriotic Front on pension policies led GERB to change its opinion it held yesterday.

Tsvetanov said that the Prime Minister Boyko Borissov had been informed about the decision and would take into account the will of the MPs of his party. He said that GERB could not comply with policies which are inconsistent with the overall model for development of the country. “Therefore, because of all these differences, we do not think  that there is a political force in the format of the 43rd National Assembly  that can accept the mandate to form a cabinet,” Tsvetanov said.

Valeri Simeonov, a co-leader of the nationalist alliance Patriotic Front said that they had already expressed readiness, if a mandate was handed to them, to talk with all political forces, to seek consent to form a government of experts, which would continue the successful and stable development of Bulgaria.

"We are holding talks with the Reformist Bloc and other parties with the exception of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and DOST. We are ready to take a responsibility before our voters. They have not sent us here to play some political roulette but to fulfill our duty," Simeonov said earlier on 30^th of November. He noted that because of a risk that the country might be plunged in a stalemate and a crisis, every effort should be made to avoid that although their coalition was gaining strength and would likely gain advantage from early elections.

As a first condition to accept the mandate for forming a government, the Patriotic Front put the size of the minimum pensions.

"After we receive the mandate, we'll go to GERB and the Bulgarian Socialist Party and we'll raise again our demand for a nationally responsible government of experts and not of political figures,"  Simeonov said.